Dear Fathers,
As we enter into the season of sacramental preparation programs, I wanted to address a common concern raised by many pastors regarding the Sacraments of Initiation, specifically for children. It is crucial to provide clarity on this matter to ensure that our parishes are adhering to the proper procedures.
According to the Code of Canon Law (CCL 867.1), parents have an obligation to ensure that their infants are baptized within the first few weeks after birth. It is essential to approach the pastor as soon as possible to request the sacrament for their child and to prepare adequately for it. While some parents may choose to delay baptism for several months or even a few years, it is important to remember that baptism is ideally administered in infancy. Therefore, parents should not postpone baptism in order to combine it with other sacraments.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) should be reserved for children who are converting to the faith, either with their family or by their own accord. RCIC is not intended for unbaptized children raised in Catholic families. However, if a child is converting from a non-Catholic family, they may receive Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist in a single celebration, usually during the Easter Vigil (National Statutes for the Catechumenate, 14).
Children from Catholic families who are not converting to the faith can be baptized at any time. However, they should only receive their First Communion once they have reached the age of reason and have previously undergone the sacramental preparation programs provided by the parish.
The Sacrament of Confirmation may be received by:
- High school-aged teenagers who have already been baptized and have completed the standard two-year course of preparation.
- Baptized Catholic adults who have completed Adult Confirmation classes.
- Adult converts who have completed the RCIA program and are being fully initiated.
- Children who are converting to the Catholic faith from non-Catholic families, who have completed a full RCIC program and are being initiated into the faith at the Easter Vigil.
I have been informed by several pastors that in some of our communities, Catholic parents deliberately delay the Baptism and First Communion of their children, enrolling them in an eight-month RCIA program to have them receive all three sacraments at the Easter Vigil. This approach aims to complete the sacraments in the shortest amount of time, with minimal religious education required. However, this practice is not beneficial for the child, the family, or the life of the parish community.
Children from Catholic families should be given the respect they deserve by providing them with the full course of religious education for their First Confession, First Communion, and, later as teenagers, their Confirmation.
I kindly request you to communicate this information to your religious education staff and to publish it extensively in your bulletins and parish websites. It is our duty to offer our children the best religious education possible, so they may fully appreciate and receive these significant rites of our faith.
These matters, along with others, will be discussed at our Priest Fall Study Day on October 25th. In the coming weeks, I will be personally inviting those responsible for coordinating the Confirmation Programs for Adults and Youth in your parish to engage in a discussion regarding these policies. Invitations will follow.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
The Most Reverend Michael C. Barber, S.J.
Bishop of Oakland